Wall construction and brick therefor



R. F. MARTIN.

WALL CONSTRUCTION AND BRICK THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30,1919. 1,400,893.

RENEWED MAY 11, 1921.

' Patented Dec. 20, 1921.

1A VENTOR A TTORNEY ROBERT F. MABTIN,-OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

,, ASSIGNOR TO ROBERT F. MARTIN CORPU- RATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WALL CONSTRUCTION AND BRICK THEREFOR.

menses.

Application filed July 30, 1919, Serial No. 314,320. Renewed May 11, 1921.

T 0 all w 7mm it may concern Be it known that 1, ROBERT F. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wall Constructions and Bricks Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in wall constructions and brick therefor, and particularly an improved construction for the head or corner of a wall. An object of the invention is to provide in a wall adapted to have air circulation therein, a head or corner through which there will be a free circulation of air, this circulation being in communication with the circulation throughout the wall so that the whole structure will be maintained dry. With this construction there will be no dead head in the wall and in a structure comprising two meeting walls, the air circulation will be from one wall through the corner or head and through the other wall. I further propose in such a head structure to effectually prevent the penetration of moisture from one outer surface of the wall to the other either by moisture conducting material, communicating surfaces or evaporation and condensation. A still further object is to provide such a brick suitable for kiln treatment so that a perfect vitreous brick may be formed.

With these and other objects in view, em.- bodiments of my invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, and these embodiments will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a corner wall construction embodying One form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the head of the wall according to another embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the wall shown in Fig. 2 but omitting the end brick in the lowest course;

Fig. 4% is a vertical sectional view taken.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26*, 15921.

Serial No. 468,726.

skived at its ends to adapt the same for use p in an arch construction.

Similar reference characters indicate cor responding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, and more par ticularly to Figs. 5, 6 and 7 thereof, the head brick according to the present embodiment of my invention comprises a solid face portion 10, having the dimensions of a standard brick, and its ends 11 and 12 being solid. The head brick is solid as at 18 and extends through substantially half of its thickness, this proportion being arbitrary however. The other half comprises a pair of spaced hollow sections 14 and 15 rectangular in cross section and connected intermediately at their inner faces by a lateral web 16, which is disposed substantially centrally of the said inner faces of the said hollow brick sections, and having its upper and lower surfaces substantially spaced from the upper and lower surfaces of the said hollow brick sections. At the upper and lower sides of the web, there are provided centrally thereof vertically disposed relatively thin flanges or ribs 17 and 18, the upper and lower and end surfaces of these ribs being for the sake of expediency flush with the upper and lower surfaces of the portion 13, and the sections 14 and 15 of the brick, although they may if desired only extend a short distance from the web and not entirely to the said upper and lower surfaces of the brick. These webs are nonmortar receiving and do nottherefore act as a support or load carrying element for the wall, their function being to prevent the transverse conduction of moisture through the wall and to separate the air channels formed above and below the web.

The other bricks forming the body of the spaced front and rear hollow brick sections 19 and 20, their outer and inner faces substantially corresponding to the dimensions of a standard brick and connected intermediately their interior faces by a lateral web 21 provided centrally and at its upper and lower sides with relatively narrow, longitudinal, vertically disposed flanges or ribs 22 and 23, these ribsbeing non-mortar receiving and preferably flush with the upper and lower surfaces'of the sections 19 and 20. These ribs being non-mortar receiving and relatively narrow do not act as a support or load carrying element to the wall, their function being to prevent the transverse conduction of moisture from the outer mortar joints to the inner mortar joints, the wall being entirely supported by the bearingv surfaces of the sections 19 and 20 which constitute the major portion of the lateral area of the brick. This stretcher brick is disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 240,673, filed June 18th, 1918, and comprises apart of the present invention in so far as it cooperateswith the header bricks to form a wall construction. r i

Inconstructing a corner of a wall where there are two meeting side Walls, the stretchers are laid end to end in superimposed courses, the joints between the ends of the bricks of one course being centrally of the ends of the bricks of the adjacent courses. By placing the mortar courses toward the outer surfaces of the sections 19 and 20, no

mortar will be forced into the air spaces formedv by the'channe'ls above and below the web 21- and separated by the rlbs, and by so regulating the amount of mortar andthe pressure exerted uponthe-brick laid therein,

' the mortar will be forced just to the air space but will not fall therein. In the absence of the barrier ribs, a falling of the mortar into the air space would constitute a serious objection inasmuchas it would form a carrier or conductor for moisture to the inner part of the wall, or a more serious objection would result from. evaporationand condensation of moisture and the communication of the condensed moisture to the mortar joints at the inner part of the wall. The bricks are laid up with about one quarter to three quarters.

of an inch mortar joints, so that the longitudinal edgesurfaces of the ribs are separated an equal distance as at A, while the ends of the webs and ribs which are nonmortarreceiving are separated an equal distance as at B, the separation between the ends of the bricks of one course being centrally of the bricks of the courses disposed above and below the same so that the transverse spaces B are. staggered in relation to ,the channels will cause the moisture to be quickly evaporated. The ribs form an effective barrier to the penetration of moisture tothe inner wall section, and provide a large surface for condensation of moisture in the channels, so that even though the moisture be in a vaporous stateit will be prevented from finally penetrating the inner wall section. The corners between the brick sections and the webs and ribs, both in the case of the header bricks and the stretcher bricks are preferably rounded as shown although it will be understood that these corners may, if desired, be angular. The round ing of the corners, however, materially strengthens the connection between the web and brick sections and prevents warping of the brick during treatment of the same in the kiln. Also, a better surface for the flow of moisture through the channels is provided inasmuch as there will be a tendency for the moisture to flow. away from the roinid'ed corner surfaces, whereas if sharp corners were provided, there would be likemanufacturing, the brick will be such that it will lay plumb and level in the wall.

In forming the corner, the projecting end of each course is held by a header brick and in alternate courses, the air channels and the hollow brick portions of the headers are in continuation of the-corresponding portions of the stretchers, the projecting ends of the stretchers and the headers of one wall being disposed in right angular relation to the projecting ends and headers of the other wall. Theupper and lower surfaces of the headers receive mortar but the ribs 17 and 18 and the portion ofthe hollow brick section of the headers directly overlying the channels ofthe stretchers, do-not receive mortar, The air spaces in the corner of the wall are in communication vertically with each other and also with the air charinels extending throughout the twoside'walls. Thus a continuous circulation of air is maintained throughout the wall and penetration of moisture both at the corners and along the length of the wallsis effectually prevented.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a construction for the head of a corner wall which is formed by providing a single transverse header at the end of the projecting alternate courses of stretchers and two headers at right angles of the first header at the ends of the other courses. The ends of the webs and ribs are unconnected by mortar joints. A continuous air space is provided vertically of the end of the wall in communication with the air channels extending throughout the wall as clearly indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4E, so that a free circulation of air will exist throughout the entire wall and any moisture reaching the air channels will be quickly evaporated and condensed. The arrangement of the lateral webs intermediately the upper and lower mortar surfaces of the bricks and the provision of non-mortar receiving barrier ribs upon the upper and lower lateral surfaces of the web will, when the brick is laid up in a wall with mortar upon the mortar receiving surfaces, prevent the conduction of moisture through the wall.

In F 8 I have shown a form of construction in which the header brick is adapted for an arch or dome construction, the same being skived as at 2 1: and 25 so as to give it a wedge shape in cross section.

I have illustrated and described preferred and satisfactory embodiments of my invention but it is obvious that changes may be made therein within the spirit and scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A brick for wall construction comprising a solid face portion, and an inner portion comprising spaced end sections constituting with the said face portion, the wall supporting portions of the brick, and an intermediate portion comprising a lateral web connecting said end sections intermediately their upper and lower surfaces, and provided intermediate its longitudinal edges and at its upper and lower sides with relatively narrow non-mortar receiving ribs.

2. A brick for wall construction comprising a solid face portion, and an inner portion comprising spaced hollow end sections constituting with the said face portion, the wall supporting portions of the brick, and an intermediate portion comprising a lateral web connecting said end sections intermediately their upper and lower surfaces, and provided intermediate its longitudinal edges and at its upper and lower sides with relatively narrow non-mortar receiving ribs, the ends of said web and said ribs being flush with the ends of said brick sections.

3. A brick for wall construction compris- &

ing a solid face portion, and an inner portion comprising spaced hollow'end sections constituting with the said face portion the wall supporting portions of the brick, and an intermediate portion comprising a lateral web connecting said end sections intermediately their upper and lower surfaces, and provided intermediate its longitudinal edges and at its upper andlowersides with relatively narrow-non-mortar receiving ribs, the ends of said web and said ribs being flush with the ends of said brick sections, the thickness of said end sections, said web and said ribs being substantially equal and within kiln treatment limits.

4. In a wall construction, a plurality of superimposed courses of stretcher bricks comprising inner and outer spaced sections, and spacing means therebetween forming between said inner and outer sections, communicating air passages and superimposed headers at the ends of saidcourses of stretcher bricks, said headers comprising a solid face portion, and an inner portion comprising spacedhollow end sections constituting with said face portion the wall supportingportions of the brick, and an intermediate portion comprising a lateral web connecting saidend sections intermediately their upper and lower surfaces and provided intermediate its longitudinal edges and at its upper and lower sides with relatively narrow non-mortar receiving ribs, the

ends of said webs and ribs being spaced from the ends of said spacing means of said stretcher bricks to provide circulation up wardly and downwardly between the said stretcher bricks and headers, the spaces above and below said webs of said headers being in communication with each other and with said air passages of said stretcher bricks.

5. A brick for wall construction comprising a solid face portion, and an inner portion comprising spaced end sections constituting with the said face portion, the wall supporting portions of the brick, an intermediate space being provided between the said end sections, and a web extending across the said space and connected to the said face portion and end sections at their inner upright surfaces.

6. A brick for wall construction comprising a solid face portion, and an inner portion comprising spaced hollow end sections constituting with the said face portion the wall supporting portions of the brick, an intermediate space being provided between the said end sections, and a web extending across the said space and connected to the said face portion and end sections at their inner upright surfaces.

7. A brick for wall construction compris- 1 ing a solid face portion, and an inner portion comprisingspeced end sections c0nstitutingrwith the said face portion the Wall supporting portions of the brick, an intermediate space being provided between the V 5 said end sections, and a lateral Web extending across the said space and connected to the sald face portion and end sections at their inner upright surfaces, the end of the Web being flush with the ends of said spaced end sections.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have slgned my name hereunder.

ROBERT F. MARTIN. 

